Urge Your Congressman to Delay the ELD Mandate

The mandate to install electronic logging devices (ELDs) goes into effect on December 18, 2017. Congressman Brian Babin (R-Alabama), though, introduced legislation H.R. 3282, the ELD Extension Act of 2017, to delay the mandate by two years. While our ultimate goal remains repealing the mandate or securing an exemption for water well drilling contractors, the delay is the best likelihood for action by the December deadline.

Please send your member of Congress a letter, urging support for H.R. 3282. It only takes a few seconds to let your member of Congress know how important passing this bill is for you and your business.

Significant uncertainty remains over whether viable technology will be available by December 18, and if the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration will have the capability to enforce use of the new technology. The rule is estimated to cost $2 billion to implement, and vulnerabilities around cybersecurity, functionality in rural areas, and enforcement capabilities remain.

Not all trucks will be required to install ELDs. Exemptions in the rule include those for short-haul operations—drivers limited to a 100 air-mile radius and for trucks manufactured prior to 2000, among others. More information on the mandate, as well as current exemptions to the mandate, can be found in a feature article that appeared in the Water Well Journal May 2017 issue.